A global survey revealed that Singapore was the 20th cheapest city in the world to take a taxi ride, Todayonline reported.
The 2017 Taxi Price Index, published by British online used car dealership Carspring, surveyed traditional taxi operators in 80 of the “most visited” cities across the globe. These places included Zurich, New York, Hong Kong and Mumbai.
Cairo topped the index for the cheapest taxi ride — for a 3km journey, a taxi ride in Cairo will set you back S$0.75. Zurich lies at the other end of the spectrum, at S$34.51.
The standard fare for a 3km ride in Singapore was S$5.47.
The survey also looked at typical airport to city centre fares, and once again, Cairo had the lowest fare of S$5.74. The journey from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport to the Japanese capital’s city centre was the most costly, at S$259.54.
Singapore ranked 31st on this score at S$37.32.
The position for the highest initial taxi fee worldwide goes to Zurich – it will cost you S$11.34 the moment you hop into a cab. Singapore stood at 33rd place, with an initial fee of S$3.51.
National University of Singapore (NUS) transport researcher Lee Der-Horng told Todayonline that besides being “affordable” here with “very good” overall service quality, the taxis in Singapore run on a metered or flat fare, and are therefore immune from “bargaining” seen in other cities, such as Kuala Lumpur.
Transport economist Walter Theseira from the Singapore University of Social Sciences, noted that in most countries, private hire car rides are generally cheaper. The higher fares in cities like Zurich reflect stronger minimum-wage regulations, Theseira said.